When the Golden State Warriors acquired Gary Payton II from the Portland Trail Blazers prior to the NBA trade deadline, it was a deal gone wrong.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr spoke candidly on the medical fiasco that complicated what was meant to be a midseason boost for the defending champions.
Kerr was asked on 95.7 The Game’s Damon & Rattoabout his take on the aftermath of the Gary Payton II trade saga, wherein the Warriors ended up being pressured to take the deal despite the fact that GPII looks a ways away from being able to contribute on the court, via Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports Bay Area:
“Yeah, disappointing, obviously,” Steve Kerr said. “I mean, we were excited about Gary’s addition. We know what he did for us last year and we needed immediate help. We needed a boost at the deadline, and that was one of the reasons for the deal. So finding out that he was going to be out for a while was frustrating, but that’s the way it goes.”
The Warriors could have definitely used a healthy Gary Payton II with Stephen Curry still nursing an injury of his own. Plugging him in lineups alongside Jordan Poole would have brought a different dimension to Golden State’s rotation. Prior knowledge of the injury could have also enabled Bob Myers to focus his attention on another player like Alex Caruso, who the Warriors reportedly had an interest in.
But Steve Kerr knows not everything goes according to plan.
“You go through this stuff, and every year something different happens,” Kerr explained. “Players are injured, players are traded and stuff happens. One year we had the worst record in the league, last year we won the championship. It’s just life, stuff happens. So I don’t spend my time throwing stuff against the wall and lamenting things, and we just keep moving forward. You just keep dealing with what is happening right now.”
The Warriors have been the most successful franchise of the past decade, but they’ve also taken their fair share of lumps. Their resilience in overcoming those challenges has undoubtedly contributed to their extended success.
Source: https://clutchpoints.com
